Neighbour Shawarma
12 969 Upper Ottawa Street, Hamilton ON L8T 4V9 · Restaurant
Inspection summary
Neighbour Shawarma has been inspected 10 times by City of Hamilton Public Health Services since October 17, 2022. The most recent inspection, on August 14, 2026, recorded 1 infraction.
None of the 10 inspections on record were free of infractions. In the past 12 months there were 2 inspections with 3 infractions recorded. The higher-risk findings here relate to: Protecting food from contamination, Food temperature control and Cleaning and sanitizing.
The number of infractions per inspection has stayed roughly the same over time.
What these findings mean
Health authorities word their violations differently, so we group them by what they mean for food safety. Higher-risk findings are the ones inspectors treat as critical, because they can directly make someone sick.
Protecting food from contaminationHigher risk
This covers how food is stored, prepared and displayed: raw meat kept away from ready-to-eat food, food covered and stored off the floor, and nothing dripping or splashing into it. Cross-contamination from raw to cooked food is a direct route for salmonella and E. coli.
Recorded 6 times across 6 separate inspections, most recently on August 14, 2026. For example:
Floors, walls, and ceilings clean and in good repair and maintained in a sanitary manner
Food temperature controlHigher risk
Bacteria multiply fastest between about 4 °C and 60 °C (40 °F to 140 °F). Inspectors check that cold food stays cold, hot food stays hot, cooked food is cooled quickly, and that staff have accurate thermometers. Temperature problems are one of the most common causes of food poisoning, so these are treated as critical findings.
Recorded 3 times across 2 separate inspections, most recently on September 8, 2023. For example:
Refrigeration and hot-holding equipment maintained
Cleaning and sanitizingHigher risk
Anything that touches food, such as cutting boards, dishes and utensils, must be washed, rinsed and sanitized. Inspectors check dishwasher temperatures, sanitizer strength and how wiping cloths are stored. Poor sanitizing lets bacteria survive from one use to the next.
Recorded 2 times across 2 separate inspections, most recently on January 17, 2023. For example:
Testing reagent used to determine concentration of sanitizer
Handwashing and staff hygieneHigher risk
Hands are the main way germs like norovirus move from people to food. Inspectors look for stocked, accessible handwashing sinks, staff washing hands when required, hair restraints, and sick employees being kept away from food. Gaps here can spread illness quickly.
Recorded once on September 5, 2023. For example:
Hand washing basin with supplies of soap and paper towels in dispensers
Food safety training and certificationLower risk
Most jurisdictions require a certified food handler or manager on site, and some require allergen or food-worker training. These findings mean the paperwork or the trained person was missing at the time. They do not by themselves mean food was handled unsafely.
Recorded 6 times across 4 separate inspections, most recently on January 24, 2025. For example:
Certified food handler present in the food service premise
About this data
These results come from City of Hamilton Public Health Services, which inspects food premises and other public facilities in this area. We republish the authority's public disclosure data and refresh it regularly; the official record is the final word.
10 inspections
- Routine Inspection
1 infraction
- Floors, walls, and ceilings clean and in good repair and maintained in a sanitary manner
- Routine Inspection
2 infractions
- Ventilation is maintained to ensure the elimination of odours, fumes, vapours, smoke, or excessive heat
- Food protected from contamination or adulteration
- Routine Inspection
2 infractions
- Cloths and towels maintained in clean, good repair and not used for other purposes
- Change sanitizing solution for wiping cloths at a minimum of every 2 hours, or as often as necessary, to maintain the solution clean and sanitary at all times
- Ensure wiping cloths are kept in a sanitizing solution when not in use
- Certified food handler present in the food service premise
- Ensure certified food handler or supervisor is present during all hours of operation
- Cloths and towels maintained in clean, good repair and not used for other purposes
- Routine Inspection
1 infraction
- Cloths and towels maintained in clean, good repair and not used for other purposes
- Change sanitizing solution for wiping cloths at a minimum of every 2 hours, or as often as necessary, to maintain the solution clean and sanitary at all times
- Ensure wiping cloths are kept in a sanitizing solution when not in use
- Cloths and towels maintained in clean, good repair and not used for other purposes
- Routine Inspection
4 infractions
- Separate hand washing basin provided for food handlers
- Illumination maintained in food premise as prescribed in Ontario Regulation 332/12 (Building Code)
- Food protected from contamination or adulteration
- Certified food handler present in the food service premise
- Ensure certified food handler or supervisor is present during all hours of operation
- Re-inspection
1 infraction
- Refrigeration and hot-holding equipment maintained
- Routine Inspection
5 infractions
- Hand washing basin with supplies of soap and paper towels in dispensers
- Provide paper towels in a dispenser at hand basin in food preparation area
- Food protected from contamination or adulteration
- Food is held at 4°C (40°F) or less
- Adjust or repair the refrigeration unit immediately. Do not store any hazardous foods in the unit until it is able to maintain hazardous foods at 4°C (40°F) or less
- Ensure all hazardous foods are stored at 4°C (40°F) or less
- Refrigeration and hot-holding equipment maintained
- Certified food handler present in the food service premise
- Hand washing basin with supplies of soap and paper towels in dispensers
- Complaint
1 infraction
- Floors, walls, and ceilings clean and in good repair and maintained in a sanitary manner
- Routine Inspection
5 infractions
- Floors, walls, and ceilings clean and in good repair and maintained in a sanitary manner
- Ventilation is maintained to ensure the elimination of odours, fumes, vapours, smoke, or excessive heat
- Maintain ventilation system to ensure elimination of odours, fumes, vapours, smoke, or excessive heat
- Ventilation system requires thorough cleaning
- Testing reagent used to determine concentration of sanitizer
- Provide and use test reagent to determine concentration of sanitizer
- Certified food handler present in the food service premise
- Ensure certified food handler or supervisor is present during all hours of operation
- Food handlers who come into contact with food/utensils shall do so in a sanitary manner
- Routine Inspection
2 infractions
- Ventilation is maintained to ensure the elimination of odours, fumes, vapours, smoke, or excessive heat
- Maintain ventilation system to ensure elimination of odours, fumes, vapours, smoke, or excessive heat
- Ventilation system requires thorough cleaning
- Testing reagent used to determine concentration of sanitizer
- Provide and use test reagent to determine concentration of sanitizer
- Ventilation is maintained to ensure the elimination of odours, fumes, vapours, smoke, or excessive heat
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